Dear Families,

Last newsletter, your attention was drawn to the open door on the left hand side of our logo, which symbolises the sense of welcome that we hope everyone who steps into our school gets to experience. Underneath that logo are three simple words that encapsulate everything we hope for students who attend St Anne’s.

Growth Wisdom Love

Love is the central tenet of Jesus’ greatest commandment, which comes to us in the Gospel of John - “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you”. Throughout his life, Jesus gave us many examples of love in the way he treated those who were most downtrodden - the sick, the poor, the outcast. Our Religious Education program at St Anne’s aims to help students identify the people (or groups of people) in our world who are most in need of love, and ask the question What can we do to be like Jesus in the way we show love to others? As we approach the season of Advent, this will be a question we explore more deeply as a school community.

Our Junior School Sports Day takes place tomorrow. The main focus is on having fun with our friends while demonstrating our school values of resilience, safety, responsibility and respect. Family members are more than welcome to join us for the day, and there are many ways in which you can help (or join in!). Events will primarily take place up on the oval. As part of our Child Safe procedures, you are asked to note the following points.

Be mindful of hot drinks such as coffee around students
Adults are to use the staff/adult toilets located inside past the canteen, NOT the new student toilets in the junior building (please make sure other family members such as grandparents are aware of this). If you are unsure of where the adult toilets are located, please ask a staff member
If you are taking students home at the conclusion of the Sports (but before the end of the day) please sign them out at their classroom. This will help us keep track of everyone without overwhelming the Office
A reminder that photos taken of other students must not be displayed on social networking sites without permission

I strongly encourage you to attend Monday evening’s Parent Session facilitated by Dan Petro. Dan has trained hundreds of parents of both typical children and children with additional needs. Attending one of his workshops is a comfortable way to discover (or rediscover) those straightforward, effective parenting practices that can make a significant difference for everyone. The session will be held here at school at 6:30pm, and child minding is available. Information about the evening from Dan can be found below.

Making Parenting a Little Easier

Being a parent or carer is a demanding task under any circumstances, especially in a world that is even more challenging than just a generation ago. These challenges are often amplified when children collide with those typical developmental adjustments which all children experience.

Adults can become at odds with the child, or even between themselves, when searching for the best responses to these situations. Other children in the home can become affected too, as the challenges their sibling faces can have an influence on their day as well.

This presentation will provide you with flexible alternatives you can draw upon to teach new skills at home, help establish daily routines, and effectively respond to these demanding situations.

It is that time of year when we turn our attention to 2024. We are very excited to have our new Prep cohort with us for the first time next Thursday, where they will spend an hour or so in classrooms and on the playground. We have a very healthy 2024 enrolment of 90 students so we will once again return to having 4 Prep classes. If you have a child (in a year level other than Year Six) who will not be returning to St Anne’s next year, I ask that you let me know so we can finalise student numbers.

Finally, it is also that time of year when we begin to announce staff movement. Alexis Seddon, Michelle Buckley and Greg Lane will all be moving to different Catholic schools for the 2024 school year. In addition, Immy Barlow will be following in the footsteps of many Australian teachers and heading to London to teach, while Trish Quinn will be enjoying a well-deserved (if not less busy) retirement. We will acknowledge the contributions of these teachers to our school community in future newsletters, as well as provide details about new staff who will be joining us next year.

Noelene returns from her well-deserved Long Service Leave on Monday. We are looking forward to hearing tales from her trip, particularly the visit to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. I am sure you join me in continuing to pray for peace in that part of the world.

Warm regards and God’s blessings,

Stephen

And date for rescheduled Senior Sports Day

Senior Sports Day

We have rescheduled Senior Sports Day to Friday 10th November.

Swimming Program

Due to delays in the reopening of the Sunbury Aquatic Centre indoor pool, our revised swimming program looks like this. Further details to come as more information comes to hand.

Year 3 - Week 5 - 30 October - 3 November (Heated Outdoor Pool)

Year 2 - Week 8 - 20 November - 24 November

Prayer